NURU: A Solar Energy Company's Story

Have you ever wondered what a good job to pursue after you finish school would be? Jonathan Shaw, father of a student at NorthStar Academy, is the CEO of a company known as Nuru (Swahili for light) that helps many people by providing renewable energy to them. Nuru is a solar energy company located in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a central African country which is suffering from violence, corruption in the government, poverty, and a lack of education. However, Nuru has been making huge strides in fixing these problems. Below is an interview with Jonathan Shaw, the aforementioned CEO and founder of Nuru:

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Who’s in Your Square Squad?

When I was in high school . . . 

I realize that I was in high school over 25 years ago and starting an article in this way feels like I’m trying to relate to your experience when in truth the world has vastly changed since I was in high school. However, some things do not change, like our God-designed need for friendship, and that is what I want to focus on today. 

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Exploring Student Council

At NorthStar Academy, there are a variety of outlets for students to follow their individual passions and practice valuable skills.  Examples include clubs, online chapel meetings, and esports teams.  However, these outlets would not be able to continue functioning the way they do today without the student council at NorthStar Academy.  While a council of students might at first seem barely related to the workings of NorthStar Academy’s student body, its members do quite a bit for the student body behind the scenes.

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New Year, New Me: The Resolutions of the Navigator Staff

I know what you did on December 31, well, not exactly, but a rough idea. You probably toasted a chilled glass of something sparkling, and resolved to some sort of ritual that would lead to a better you in 2024. Well, you aren’t alone. Millions of people around the world participate in this tradition, either scribbling resolutions down on a crumpled napkin, or in an embellished notebook they purchased for the occasion. Well, the Navigator staff also participated in this ritual, and shared some of the resolutions they made for 2024. 

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Life After High School

Life after high school can seem incredibly overwhelming for many. The newfound freedom that comes with stepping into adulthood can be exhilarating, but it also comes with more responsibility and more decisions to make. For years, NSA has organized a college fair and career fair. Traditionally, they were two separate week-long events, featuring college admissions officers in the college fair or career specialists in the career fair. The point of these events was to help students explore options for their future, taking away a little bit of that doomsday feeling high schoolers get. We are excited to say that we are bringing these events back!

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Catching up with a Previous Editor-in-Chief

From 2018-2020, the editor-in-chief at the Navigator was Savannah L. Not only was Savannah the editor-in-chief, but also one of the founders of the Navigator class at NorthStar. Since graduating, Savannah now attends Mount St. Mary’s college in Maryland. It has been four years since Savannah left NorthStar, and now is as good a time as any to catch up.

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The History of Valentine's Day

As many people finish putting away their Christmas decorations, a new holiday is just around the corner. Valentine's Day is a holiday celebrated on the fourteenth of February. The holiday is centered around love and being romantic; cupid, hearts, flowers, and chocolates are just a few examples. You will commonly see the color pink or red around this time. Local craft stores supply your every Valentine's Day need. While this holiday is enjoyable to celebrate, the question often arises of why we celebrate it. Where did the idea of Cupid or hearts originate in connection to this holiday?

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Visual Arts Club Contest Winner

The first ever NorthStar Academy Christmas Art Competition is officially over! We’ve kicked off the first competition with so many wonderful art submissions. They were everything we wished for, and more! We were overwhelmed by the number of entries we received – each one creative and inspiring in its own way. Ultimately, there was one submission that stood out from the rest and had earned the judge’s hearts. Never the less, the large amounts of creativity that we were able to see in each art submission, was astonishing. This was a tough decision to make, to which had sparked some debate between the judges. 

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Living Secure: How to Have Peace In Times of Chaos

Waves cascaded over the small cracked wooden boat, which keeled under the weight of the breakers. Salt water filled the men’s nostrils, and heavy rain splattered onto their already soaked tunics. “Turn the boat!” screamed a man with brown curly hair and flashing eyes. Although he had screamed with all his strength, his voice was picked up by the wind and carried far away, tossed on the waves and drowned in the sound of cracking thunder. A huge lightning bolt raced across the sky, followed by a split of thunder that seemed to come from the heavens themselves.

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The Mind Games

Sports are often affiliated with the physical aspects of it. For example, the strength of football players, the agility of soccer players, and the precision of basketball players are commonly attributed aspects inside of the competitive world. With the rise of eSports however, many people feared this would take away from the definition of Sports. People might think that eliminating the physical aspects of sports would be like taking the pumpkin out of a Jack-o-lantern. It just would not work! But the one thing not often considered was the mental attributes of sports. 

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Preparing for the SAT

The Scholastic Assessment Test, SAT for short, is one of the most important tests for college applicants to take.  However, some students have trouble on the SAT because they do not prepare for it.  This article will go over how a student would prepare for the online format of the SAT, which will be used from the spring of 2024 onward.  The SAT is split into four main sections with two going over reading and English concepts, while the other two handle math concepts.  This test can be extremely daunting to students since it lasts two hours and 15 minutes (College Board).  However, with the correct preparation a student can go into the SAT well-equipped.

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Seeds4HOPE: Building Resilience

Depression is “a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest” (Mayo Health Clinic). “Approximately 280 million people in the world have depression” (World Health Organization). Anyone can get depression. It can come after the death of a loved one, anxiety from school, or other external circumstances. However, depression is not the end of the road. It can be battled with hope and resilience.

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